I read a book in the 90s about a group learning how to rewrite their own genetics and teaching each other... calling the ability learning how to "read" or "write". they were benevolent and maybe it occurred due to some exposure to something historical or extraterrestrial?
1 Answer
That sounds like Einstein's Bridge by John G. Cramer. In an alternate history where the Super conducting Super Collider (SSC) was built, instead of being canceled in 1993, physicists accidentally create a signal to other universes. They are contacted by two universes via microscopic wormholes, one of whom was benevolent and gives humans the ability to "read" and "write" any genetic code, including their own. They do this to help us protect ourselves from the other universe. The words "read" and "write" are specifically used to describe these abilities. The other universe is dominated by a hive mind that initiates an invasion via organic nanobots pushed through the wormhole. Ultimately the protagonists go back in time and prevent the SSC from being built in the first place, creating our timeline.